Paid in Full is the debut album of American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released July 7, 1987, on the Island-subsidiary label 4th & B'way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl's home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim's response to Eric B.'s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1985.

"Paid in Full is credited as a benchmark album of golden age hip hop. Rakim's rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. The album's heavy sampling by Eric B. became influential in hip hop production. The record has sold over a million copies and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 227 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time."

The Album that introduced Rakim to the world. During the time of this albums release there was no hip hop group or act, mc, rapper that came close or could touch these guys, more importantly rakim. THERE WAS NO ONE THAT CAME EVEN CLOSE TO SOUNDING LIKE THIS GUY DURING THIS TIME AND ERA, BORN BRED ORIGINAL(Like Kool G Rap, krs one, basically he is one of a few to start it all..He is an Original) This is considered by many as the greatest hip hop album ever made(on many peoples list as number one) but I totally disagree. A definite classic for sure and a must have but I consider this to be the WEAKEST out of their 4 releases. Not even close to my favorite album by them. This is when we are introduced to rakim and get to know the monster mc that he is but i don't think Rakim truly started to mature and turn into the legendary titan that he is until the 90s came strolling along. That is when he went from "this up coming cat from N.Y with CRAZY SKILLZ ON THE MIC" to mother fucking

But don't get me wrong I fucking love this album to death. I still reminisce on the good ol' times blasting this in my friends car while carpooling to school back in 2004', it definitely holds good memories of the good ol' days...when things were good and simple...just like hip hop . Everyone looking to get into golden age of hip hop should most definitely cop this outta tha box, but like I said earlier, I don't think we see rakims true potential until the 80s are over...good god the shit they came out with in 1990-1992 was just Incredible. Anyways cop this album folks. A great album and another example of what helped the hip hop movement move along during its run in the 80s.. But like I said earlier, this is far from the best album they made. We don't see Rakim for his true epic potential until the 90s(but that's just my opinon)

This is one of the greatest underground hip hop albums ever made, period. I still get goosebumps at how much this album blew me away when i first heard it back in 2002'. I never thought hip hop music could still develop it's sound and it take it a whole other level with rhymes and new elevations of Beats. I thought this was one of the most underground shit to ever fucking' come outta the fuckin underground! The stuff that Rappers Spawn and Slug have to say over Antz abstract, unique and "ahead of its time" beats were just jaw dropping. This is also when Atmosphere was a 3 man group instead of the 2 man group that they became to be...

This is also when we saw a MUCH "different" atmosphere. This is what i call the "UNDERGROUND" atmosphere.. Don't even compare this "atmosphere" to the one that came out after Spawn left the group(he left right after this album was released). Some people love their newer material but to me it's "meh". I think "The LUCY FORD" lp and "god luvs ugly" are good albums but they will never blow me away like the way this album did. Slug was also a much different rapper in this LP. In this we see the underground battle rap, abstract, story telling slug. After this album we see the "FUCK YOU LUCY FOR LEAVING ME, I HATE YOU, WAAAHHHH", panties in a bunch slug that I came to hate(but i will admit "LOVE LIFE" is one of the best songs ever made...such a deep and poetic song, but other than that they're other records are just "MEH""). They really changed their sound after this album came out especially they're recent releases like "7 travels" or "When life gives you lemons" which i think are pretty shitty albums that make me want to gargle out shitty french fries because that's how shitty their recent shitty releases have been. But this album is an underground classic.

I once again gotta give kudos to Hip hop producer ANT for the beats. Very abstract rugged instrumentals with some chiller fillers and laid back scratches layered in the perfect spots. And I think there wouldn't have been no one better than slug or spawn to spit over these beats, I also love slugs "voice" in this album, he was super young during this record. As i said earlier, don't even compare this "atompshere" to the atompshere that would come to be. They are good now but I like them a hell of a lot more when they were a 3-man group. Damn shame spawn had to leave the group. He left because he felt like his sound didn't belong in the group and that he didn't fit in or something. I thought he fit in perfectly fine!

I really love every track on this record. Every track is so different and unique in it's in its own little way and the stuff they speak about is on the REAL-to-REAL. I can definitely relate 100% to what Spawn is saying in "Complications" or what slug is speaking about on the deep "Adjustments", the stuff these guys speak about is truthful and raw as fuck, another thing i really love about this album is it has this very very "DARK" sound that sticks from the start of the first song "1597", to the very poetic "WND(WRITERS NEVER DIE)to the very last track, the album just keeps this extremely dark atmospheric vibe from begining to end and it works so well and its also a good reason to why the album sticks out compared to other atompshere albums(as i said earlier, after this record and after spawn left these guys changed their sound...some say for the better i say for the worst).

The best song on this album which is titled "Gods Bathroom Floor" is not even on the final print of the record! Luckily i have an old copy that i got from ebay which has the best song on the album. The song tells the story of the rapper Slug overdosing in his bathroom floor from heroin and how he goes threw a revelation and kicks the habit so he can try and be there for his kid, hence why the song is called "Gods bathroom floor". What a beautiful song, the beat laced by Ant speaks poetry folks.

Great album. Real beats, real lyrics and some real fuckin' dudes keeping it real down in Minnesota.

*all these songs must be blasted at maximum volume until your nieghbors call the police, and make sure the treble is at MAX*

After seeing so many of these god damn lists I've decided to make one, probably the worst out of all but oh well. Those that love hip hop are welcomed. I'm just gonna leave a little rant under each album on how awesome it is and how you all should check them out.

LETS BEGIN SHALL WE

50.PAIN LANGUAGE:PLANET ASIA & DJ MUGGS

Arist: Planet Asia
Producer: DJ Muggs
Title:PAIN LANGUAGE
Year:2008

"I was cut from the concrete cloth, self-taught
The time is an illusion, reality is a thought" - Planet Asia

What happens when you get a very skilled cat from fresno california and put him with the producer of Cypress hill? Well folks, YOU GET PAIN LANGUAGE. Epic war like and mellow blunted beats combined with intelligent rhymes and all around great story telling. Those on the real should cop this. DJ Muggs is usually known for his blunted mellow producution on cypress hill but its nice to see him break off the mold and go diverse and work with other rappers like Planet asia and GZA from wu Tang. And his his diversity shows on this album and the chemistry works beautifully with Planet Asia...But not as good as his previous record which I will get into later. I have seen planet asia multiple times at local hip hop shows. He is easily one of my favorite mcs of the late 90s. I just recently saw him on his birthday and he tore the roof down. anyways, this is his magnum opus and also one of the brest hip hop albums of the last decade. Fuck the mainstream garbage played on the radio. Cop it folks.

"I want a mahogany Benz, I want lottery ends
I want property, friends, plus my hobby is skins
If I decide we in sin, then my prophesy ends
But the God'll begin, watchin my odyssey spin
in the place where war be, based on a true story
Territory was made for me to pursue glory
Blast alone masses in zones have to be sewn
Every capacity blown, I'm internationally known, yo" - Rakim Allah

The only other MC behind Kool G. Rap that comes to mind as "Greatest mc of all time" would be this man. RAKIM ALLAH. He is a hip hop legend and has not only paid his dues in the hip hop game but is considered by many hip hop heads and the rap-world as the greatest rapper to ever exist or touch a mic. Anyways, This is his first solo album after breaking off with his side kick and dj; eric B. Great album but what it fails at is some really bad production especially by dj clark kent and other cats who got on this cd. It really pains me to hear it because rakim blesses them all with his off the wall Rhyme Schemes but is made up by legendary producers such as Gang Starrs DJ Premier on such songs like "NEW York" where rawh pays his dues to the place that he was born in or the epic "It's been a long time" where rakim goes on about how hes been missing in action for awhile after not being in the hip hop scene for half a decade. Its like a double edge sword I guess...In the end I still love it and it has some great stand outs. Also Rakim is just fucking GODLY PERIOD...

"Watching people vomit green, my po-lig is lizard pills
My office in Berbick, I hide the bodies in Beverley Hills.
Seeking Kimbles and bits, a girl with small tits
Talking to herself, her dog, and having rabid fits
Green fly soup in on the way from the kitchen, troop
Looking at T.B tuberculous on the window post
Ten dead dogs, a brown fox in the comatose
With no reps, I put more needles in they kneecaps
Some primitive screws, and my, yes and perhaps
A little sprinkle of Clorox, in their vocal box
Some Pepto-Bismol, Pepsi-Cola, pack of Pop Rocks
Mix it all together with bugs, to change the weather,
You be coughing blue, with eyes like Mr. Magoo
Straight up cartoon, you抮e bound to fall out real soon." - Kool Keith AKA Dr. Octagon

A little fun fact for Gorillaz Fans.

I will be the first to say that I think everything after the self title is pure shit. I fucking loved the first Gorillaz album. Played it to death when it first came out. Hell, It was in my fucking cd player for 7 straight months back in 98/99'. I loved it. You wanna know what was a big reason for that? It was the production and it was all made by none other than Daniel M. Nakamura AKA Dan the Automator! He blessed the gorillaz first cd with his epic production and it came out godly! Anyways after the first cd Dan split with gorillaz and thats when dave decided to work with others like DJ DANGERMOUSE and other cats and thats when they fell off AND THATS WHEN I STOPPED LISTENING TO GORILLAZ FOREVER...But their first cd is a fucking classic......

Other fun little fact. Dan The Automator produced this whole album with the legendary Kool Keith of the ultramagnetic mc. Only this time Kool Keith broke off his old school hip hop generic form and went a completely wierd, awkward, and very entertaining direction. Here he the old school mcs from the late 80s changes his alter ego and goes by DR. OCTAGON. Dr. Octagon is an extraterrestrial time traveling gynecologist and surgeon from the planet Jupiter. He also rapes and has sex with his patients.

"Dr. Octagonecologyst introduces the character of Dr. Octagon, a homicidal, extraterrestrial, time-traveling gynecologist and surgeon. Octagon is described as being incompetent, as many of his surgery patients die as he conducts his rounds. Octagon also pretends to be a gynecologist and often engages in sexual intercourse with female patients and nurses The album's distinctive sound crosses genres such as psychedelic, electronic music, and trip hop. Thornton's lyrics are often abstract, using surrealism, non-sequiturs, and juvenile humor. The unique sound and lyrics of Dr. Octagonecologyst helped revitalize alternative and underground hip hop, gaining more attention than any contemporary independent hip hop albumin quite a while"

I wouldn't even begin to explain how awesomely bizarre and wierd this album is. It's sick, perverted, raw, scientific and groovy as fuck. Kool Keiths Bizaare sexual perverted lyrics matched with futuristic rhymes about the year 3000 and walking around hollywood blvd with his uncle who is a half shark half aligator is just pure bizarre hip hop bliss. And it goes great with Dans AHEAD OF ITS TIME production...who would of thunk this is the same guy who made the hit "CLINT EASTWOOD"???.....

Chris, and everyone else who likes hip hop should check this out. Very unique and bizarre album. A classic for sure. Here are some dope songs Videos below for you to check out..